Wal-Mart to Build Four New Supercenters in Austin Metro

By Camelia Bulea, Associate Editor
Central Texas shows healthy retail market signs as Wal-Mart is developing heavily in the area. After the groundbreaking of a new 120,000-square-foot building that will replace the existing store in Lockhart, Wal-Mart announced the development of [...]

Central Texas shows healthy retail market signs as Wal-Mart is developing heavily in the area. After the groundbreaking of a new 120,000-square-foot building that will replace the existing store in Lockhart, Wal-Mart announced the development of four new supercenters in the Austin area. The four locations are in Cedar Park, Manor, Kyle and Elgin.

The new stores will each have 150,000 square feet and are said to be creating a total of 1,200 new jobs in the four locations, according to The Statesman. The continued growth of the population in these areas is the main reason for the expansion of Wal-Mart.

The Cedar Park supercenter will be the second Wal-Mart store for that area, while the stores in Elgin, Kyle and Manor will mark Wal-Mart’s first entry in the local retail markets. The first two retail centers due to break ground will be in Manor and Elgin, planned for construction in midsummer 2012 and fall 2012, respectively. Additionally, the Elgin store is expected to open in summer 2013, while the Manor store is set to open in fall 2013. No plans have been made public for the Cedar Park and Kyle stores.

It appears that these communities are ready for the Wal-Mart supercenters, as they have recorded economic development in addition to population growth. The City of Manor, for example, has about 18,000 to 20,000 people living in the area and has been working on attracting Wal-Mart for 10 years, reported The Statesman.

In other real estate news, Sears announced it would decide early next year whether or not to relocate its headquarters to Austin. It would mark a big win for the city if Sears decides in favor of Austin, but things are still uncertain, as one-third of the states in the nation have sent in proposals competing for the company’s headquarters, according to Austin Business Journal.